Calypso® System Uses "GPS For The Body" Technology To Track Prostate Tumors

By Thomas James, Health News, WUSA 9 | 07.31.2012

ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA) -- A new "GPS for the Body" system minimizes risk and side effects for prostate cancer patients. The new Calypso® system uses small beacons to provide precise and real-time tracking of prostate cancer tumors.

The beacons are tiny electromagnetic seeds and they are placed inside the body. The seeds provide a "road-map" to keep radiation focused directly on the tumor. If the target area moves out of place during treatment, the radiation automatically shuts off until the beacons are back in place.

Robert Hong, M.D., Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Virginia Hospital Center says, "By tracking the tumor bed, we're able to limit exposure to the normal tissues, and in turn, escalate the dose to the areas that are at highest risk of harboring cancer itself."

Those tiny beacons are placed in an outpatient procedure. They don't have to be taken out after radiation is finished. They simply "turn-off", or become inactive.

Students attend Camp Med at Virginia Hospital Center

Doctor Discusses Fears Over Chemo After Roberts' MDS Announcement

Good Morning America's news anchor Robin Roberts recent announcement about her diagnosis of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) has been covered in the news over the last couple of days. By WUSA-9 | Jun 13, 2012

What Happens When Doctors Grieve?

The way doctors handle a patient's death may affect their own lives, plus future patients and their families.By Melissa Romero, WASHINGTONIAN | WELL+BEING | Published May 31, 2012

...One local oncologist not involved with the study, Dr. Robert Hong of Virginia Hospital Center, says the field of oncology experiences a high burnout rate because "you can't just shake off what you've experienced and all the hard work you put in during the day. It doesn't turn off like a light switch. For me, I think about my patients constantly, whether I'm at home, at dinner, or at church."

Hong says the most concerning results of the study were that oncologi sts admitted a patient's death can lead to a negative impact on treatme nt decisions. One oncologist was quoted as saying, "Maybe I got that case after someone had just died and I was in a more aggressive mode. Or maybe I undertreated someone because I just saw a patient with terrible toxicity [ . . . ]. It's not a science; it's very much influenced by a lot of things that are very difficult to quantify"... | Read this article >

In a move that's adding fire to an already controversial debate, a government panel has issued a final recommendation against men undergoing prostate cancer screenings. The recommendation, released this Monday by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), gave the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test a D rating, saying it does more harm than good. The problem? The blood test and prostate biopsy, during which a hollow needle is inserted into the prostate to obtain a piece to examine, often lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary and harmful prostate cancer treatment, the panel said. Urologists have strongly protested the panel's advice, ever since the independent group of health experts came out with its initial recommendations last fall. Dr. Robert Mordkin, a urologist at Virginia Hospital Center, says the reaction among his colleagues has been negative, and they "completely disagree" with the task force's recommendation... | Read this article >

Only about 1 percent of the population experiences a subarachnoid hemorrhage, but two nurses - and sisters - at Virginia Hospital Center see so much of it that they forget it doesn't strike everyone. The facility's 28-bed neuroscience unit in Arlington, VA, treats a broad spectrum of patients with conditions ranging from trigeminal neuralgia to Parkinson's disease to brain cancer.

The Doctors

Asthma Treatment The CBS show The Doctors | March 29, 2012

The show covered Bronchial Thermoplasty, the latest and greatest treatment option for severe asthma. Dr. Jeff B. Hales, Chief, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Virginia Hospital Center was interviewed to describe this state-of-the-art procedure to the hosts and to talk about his experience as a leading medical expert and provider of the technique. | The Doctors >